Forever, Yet Not Long Enough
by plainjane108
Summary: This is my take on the passionate kiss Damon and Elena shared in 3x19, Heart Of Darkness. Spoilers and lots of Delena. One shot.


**A/N: Hi! This is my first foray into Vampire Diaries fan fiction, so please do be kind :) This scene from episode 19, season 3 inspired me so much that I, like most other Delena fans have been watching it on repeat for the past couple of days. Seriously, I've watched this more times than I can count and I've bookmarked it, too :P I got a bit wordy, this one-shot grew far beyond what I imagined! ****This is my take on it, I hope you guys like it! The lyrics**** are from Florence + The Machine's Never Let Me Go.**

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_No need to pray, no need to speak,_

_Now I am under._

_And it's breaking over me,_

_A thousand miles onto the sea bed,_

_Found the place to rest my head._

_Never let me go, never let me go,_

_Never let me go, never let me go._

This trip to Denver was supposed to be a way for Elena to somehow figure out the convoluted mess that were her feelings for Damon. After a plane ride and a harrowing confrontation with Kol, it really wasn't working out. The plane ride was natural, effortless, filled with teasing comments about Damon's use of his frequent flier miles and his travels. From there it progressed to an argument about where they'd stay while in Denver. Elena felt that keeping a low profile at a motel would be best, while Damon wanted to hit up the Denver Marriott. It was an argument that Elena had won, she reflected smugly, and was especially glad now that she knew Originals were carousing about Denver.

Elena didn't know what to do. Here she was; in this quiet hotel room, no sound but that of Damon showering in the bathroom and Jeremy's soft breathing in the bed opposite. It was softly dark, no illumination save the moonlight filtering through the organza of the motel's curtains. She was exhausted, exhausted by the events of this day which were just like the events of every day in Mystic Falls. She was tired of trying to figure out her feelings for Stefan, and now for Damon too. She was just…tired. A sigh escaped her. She lay there quietly, her eyes shut, so deceptive in her imitation of rest while her mind couldn't be more awake.

The bathroom door opened and she could make out Damon, his damp chest lightly glistening. His black pants were slung low on his hips, hair tousled. Elena watched him from beneath her lashes, his fluid movements fascinating her. He walked over to her nightstand and picked up the bottle of bourbon that rested there, his footsteps quiet. A peek told her that the coast was clear, and she resumed observing him as he shrugged his black oxford on without buttoning it. He went to the window and surveyed their surroundings once more. Her breath caught with the reminder that he protected her constantly. Damon went to the table near the window and poured the bourbon into a plastic glass rather than his usual elegant crystal tumbler, lowered himself into the accompanying chair and stared contemplatively at his glass, his face inscrutable. Elena watched with growing interest as he threw down the drink in one go. She studied his pursed lips, the way the moonlight shadowed his razor sharp cheekbones…and how his shirt fell open as he leaned back, allowing her an uninterrupted view of his defined chest.

Damon glanced over at Elena and was surprised to see her eyes open and dark, studying him. She closed them when she made eye contact and he stared at her delicate face, bemused. Elena's heartbeat quickened and she raised her lids once more, Damon's presence drawing her like a siren call. Damon saw something in Elena's eyes that she was unwilling or quite possibly unable, knowing Elena, to say. He rose and walked over to her bed and lowered himself to lie beside her, all the while maintaining eye contact with her. She was hypnotized, pinned by his gaze.

Elena could barely breathe. Damon's proximity was making her head spin and her heart thunder in her chest. His scent swirled around her, ambushing her with its potency. He smelled of sandalwood and musk and the freshness of his shower.

Elena took a deep breath as she spoke, gathering her thoughts.

"You never told me about that," this was something that had been at the back of her mind since she first found out, "What you did for Rose?"

Damon's gaze finally left hers as her looked up at the ceiling, a little uncomfortable with the look in Elena's eyes.

"It wasn't about you," he murmured.

Elena smiled and made herself more comfortable on her side. Damon was hyperaware of every movement she made.

"Why don't you let people see the good in you?" Elena couldn't help asking. What he had done for Rose resonated with her.

Damon let out an inward sigh, Elena the Do-Gooder in action again.

"When people see good, they expect good," he explained. He turned to face her, locking eyes once more. "And I don't want to live up to anyone's expectations."

Elena knew that the latter part was for her. She'd always seen the good in him – his fiercely protective side, his friendship with Alaric, and yes, his love for her, the vulnerability that no one, not Stefan or Caroline or Bonnie recognized. She let out a frustrated sigh. It was her turn to face the ceiling, mostly to escape his blue eyes that never shied away.

Her hand fell from beside her head to her side, unintentionally grazing and landing next to Damon's. Instead of removing it or just letting it be, Damon curled his fingers and reached for Elena's hand, gently tangling with her fingers. It was a gesture as easy and as natural as breathing. His lips were parted and he held his breath as he looked at the loveliness of her neck and collarbone. Damon hadn't held a girl's hand just to hold her hand in what seemed like forever. Elena looked up at Damon, her heart beating out of her chest. The tenderness of this moment made her heart ache. She looked up to find Damon gazing at her with this look in his eyes that had her heart in her throat. She felt terrified and elated and so drawn to him in this moment. He had brought all her defenses crashing down with this innocent, gentle gesture. She could barely catch her breath, _I have to get away before I do something stupid_, she thought as she gathered her sweater and rushed from the motel room.

Damon was left bemused once more. Where had Elena gone? He just couldn't get lucky with this girl, could he? He thought that this was better than kissing her, but apparently not. He hadn't gone to her with any intentions, Damon had simply come because she called, and he was easy like that. He remembered his flippant words from all those months ago, how true they had proven. He was easy for her, _only_ for her. He followed her, like he always would.

Elena stood by a vending machine, resting against it, waiting for her lungs to expand to their full capacity. She still couldn't draw breath with ease...and it wasn't going to happen at all when she heard a door open and close behind her. Damon.

"Don't."

The quietly spoken word hung between them. She didn't know _why_ she said it, she wanted this.

"Why not?" And Damon knew she wanted this, he knew Elena better than she had ever realized. He saw her shoulders slump and her head shake.

And then Damon spoke her name; that one word filled with all the longing and love and sheer, unexplainable _desperation_ he felt for her. "Elena…" he whispered.

Elena had felt the chill of the breeze as it blew, lifting her hair and going through her sweater, but it all faded when she felt the heat from her name on Damon's lips. This was it. This was the moment that this heady dance between them came to its head. She was embracing everything that she always suppressed when Damon was near.

She turned on her heel, and flew the few short steps that separated them. Her lips crashed into his, and anything other than the feel and scent and taste of Damon was obliterated from her mind. She lost herself to him; the feel of his hands clutching at her, his mouth moving with hers, their gasps and the utter _relief_ of kissing him the way she didn't let even herself fully imagine.

If Damon was surprised with this turn of events, he didn't show it. As Elena kissed him with all the passion he had only ever wished for, Damon knew that _this_ was what he'd been searching for for the better part of two centuries. He threw himself into this beautiful dream of a kiss. They swayed as Damon's tongue dipped into Elena's mouth; he shuddered as he tasted her, her hands gripping onto soft handfuls of his hair, lightly tugging as he backed her into a nearby pillar for support.

Elena's heartbeat was thundering in her ears, her lips tingling and cooling in the breeze as Damon kissed down her neck and collarbone and the tops of her breasts. She felt his tongue and lips and teeth on her skin and broke out into delicious goose bumps and pulled him to her mouth once more. There was a moment as she cupped his face and their eyes met. The connection was razor like and Elena felt she was drowning in the blue depths of love and lust and tenderness. His lips were pink from her kisses and his hands held her so, so close to him. They drowned in each other as Damon bent down to kiss her again.

Elena could swear that she felt Damon's hands burning through the thin material of her sweatpants as he cupped her ass and thigh, not letting an inch of space between their bodies. The other hand caressed her waist and brushed the sides of her breasts. His mouth was demanding, his tongue softly exploring and sexy in her mouth as he poured himself into this kiss.

The only sounds in the still night were Elena's faint moans, their mutual gasps and the wet hum of their mouths kissing. Damon felt like he was being burnt alive, but for the first time, the sensation was pleasurable. Kissing Elena was like being lit on fire by the sun – incandescent and filled with warm radiance. It seemed like this moment was forever, and yet, not long enough.

_And the arms of the ocean are carrying me,_

_And all this devotion was rushing out of me,_

_And the crashes are heaven, for a sinner like me,_

_The arms of the ocean deliver me._

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**A/N: In my alternate universe they really do kiss forever and something like Jeremy interrupting does not exist. Please review, I'd really like to know what you think of my take on this beautiful scene :)**


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